fNIRS and eye tracking reveal observation-practice ratio-dependent neural efficiency in multi-level 24-style tai chi learning

Observation and physical practice are the most frequently used methods in learning 24 Style Taichi. The effective ratio of these methods for enhancing skill acquisition remains unclear. This study aimed to identify effective Observation-Practice Ratios for novice college students learning movements of varying difficulty, and to elucidate associated differences in cognitive neural activity and eye movement performance.

A two-factor mixed design was employed. The between-subjects factor was Observation-Practice Ratio (1: 3, 1: 1, 3: 1), and the within-subjects factor was Task Difficulty (Easy, Medium, High). During 24-Style Tai Chi learning, hemodynamic signals were recorded via wearable functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and eye movements were tracked using eyeglass-type eye tracking.

Data were analyzed using Three-way ANOVA and Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA. The O1P3 and O1P1 groups exhibited lower oxy-Hb concentration compared to O3P1. They also showed reduced fixation, saccade, and blink counts alongside better motor performance.

Taken together, the combination of lower neural activity, improved oculomotor control, and comparable motor performance suggests that the O1P3 and O1P1 ratios may promote more efficient neural processing during learning, consistent with the Neural Efficiency Hypothesis. Additionally, oxy-Hb concentration was higher in the parietal area than in the frontal area, with the premotor cortex (PMC) and supplementary motor area (SMA) regions showing particularly strong activation patterns compared to other measured fronto-parietal regions during Tai Chi learning. O1P3 and O1P1 ratios show better learning efficiency for beginners.

These ratios achieve comparable performance with reduced neural resource allocation and improved oculomotor control. These findings collectively provide fNIRS and behavioral support for the Neural Efficiency Hypothesis. Additionally, parietal regions, particularly PMC and SMA, show substantial involvement in the motor learning process for 24-style Tai Chi.

This study is funded by the grant from the Shaanxi Provincial Social Science Fund Project (No. 2025QBQ002), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2026M793497) and the Xi’an Social Science Fund Project (No. Chen Guo, Hong Yan and Jiang Enmeng contributed equally to this work. School of Physical Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No.28 Xianning West Road, 710049, Xi’an, China Haikou NO.11 Primary School, Haikou, 570100, China School of Physical Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710119, China Weinan Vocational and Technical College, Weinan, 714026, China Qilu Institute of Technology, No. 620, West Chang’ an Avenue, 250000, Ji’nan, Shaanxi, China Correspondence to Changjiang Liu or Bing Shi.